Bali, Part I (Arrival, Tandjung Sari)

INSEAD gave me a few days off for the Chinese New Year, so Liz and I made our way down to Bali, Indonesia celebrate her birthday. We were excited after hearing so many stories from classmates that had already visited, so last Wednesday we made our way over to the beloved Changi airport to get out of dodge. I'm pretty sure the immigration people there are starting to recognize us.

We were booked on Indonesia's national carrier, Garuda Airlines, and had an interesting experience getting over to Bali. Despite being crowned the illustrious title of the World's Most Improved Airline, they were casually delayed in everything they did, so we were more than a bit delayed in getting to Jakarta. Once there, we rushed to get through immigration only to be shocked with the realization that our entry visas cost 500,000 Indonesian rupiah...lucky for us, we learned that's only ~$50. Nevertheless, we had no relevant currency (rupiah or USD) so I needed to negotiate with the security to let me out of the "secure" immigration area to find an ATM.

Once our immigration fiasco was resolved, we made our way through Soekarno-Hatta airport, which was mostly deserted and strangely rudimentary / third-world feeling (given how big a city Jakarta is). After a few false starts, boarding finally started and we were herded onto a packed double-decker 747 (to Bali!). Even though we flew on the Airbus A380 to Singapore (currently the largest plane in commercial operation), Liz was excited / amazed to be flying on "a plane with a hump."

Well, it was more like a plane over the hump (ha! I'm so witty). Clearly not updated since 1986, the plane was what I remembered from the Alitalia flights we used to take to Africa when I was a kid... seemingly excessive turbulence, beige everywhere, enormous ceiling-mounted projectors playing a grainy, out-of-focus security video, and "old plane smell" mixed with the effects of the tropical heat on 600 passengers. By the way, for those interested, Garuda recently had an IPO and you can still buy shares as you check-in at the airport. An interesting underwriting approach to be sure -- Goldman, watch out. Maybe they'll use the new capital to buy some new planes.

Enough about the journey. We finally got to Bali and it was all that we hoped: warm, rich in natural and cultural beauty, and cheap.

Our bungalow was the first of the trip's delights. We lodged at the Tanjung Sari, a fabled beachfront compound of 20 or so bungalows that was the hub of Bali's nascent tourism scene in the 1960s and 70s and played host to Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Phil Collins and other people idolized by our parents when they were our age. Although it isn't one of the ultra-modern, ultra-luxury resorts so popular in Seminyak or Nusa Dua, we loved its simple luxury, elegant beauty and focus on service. And with the beach-front view of the Ganung Agung volcano, lush gardens and tons of beautiful Balinese and Dutch colonial artifacts, we couldn't help taking lots of pictures...

Volcano view from the hotel beach in the morning

Blue-capped fisherman off the beach

Gateway to the beach

The intractable moss adds such an interesting element to the sculptures...

Our pool

Sidewalk leading to our bungalow

Our own little outdoor sitting area next to the bungalow, where many a discussion of our future was had

I love this one. So creepy

Standing Sitting Guard

Sanur, the town where the Tandjung Sari is located, is an interesting place. The food options are pretty good, especially a wonderful place called Kayu Manis that may offer one of the best quality-to-cost equations I've ever experienced. We ate two very good, very inexpensive meals there over the course of the trip, but the restaurant shared a theme with our hotel and the rest of the town: every other guest has gray hair. Luckily, I have a few grays and Liz thinks like a granny, so we didn't mind the calm afforded by our antediluvian neighbors. 

Beach at night...

...and during the day

Balinese outrigger canoe

The resort also sponsors a foundation for the preservation of Balinese dance, meaning that adorable Balinese children spend a few hours a couple of times a week learning legong and other traditional dances. One very cute, very uncoordinated little boy led me to try my hand at iPhone cinematography, with the results below (funny boy is in the yellow shirt). The second video is of a very talented 10 year old that was already almost as good as the teacher.

Overall, we would definitely recommend the hotel to anyone wanting a relaxed time in Bali.

More of our Balinese adventure coming soon...